My old laptop just died. Now I'm searching for a replacement to be used mostly for uni work.
I have computer at work. I also use desktop at home. But I do need another one when I go to uni. Because of those reasons, I don't want to spend too much on something that I only use a max of 10 hours a week. I'm at the moment considering a budget of $500. Only need something that is passable for uni.
Things to consider:
- Light weight
- Main use is Microsoft office, ppt etc.
- Web browsing (when I do research at uni, so something that can handle multiple tabs opening on chrome)
- Decent battery life. What's the point of light weight when I need to bring the charger around otherwise? But do correct me if I'm wrong in terms of my reasoning for a decent battery life.
- 0 gaming required. I do my gaming on my desktop
- Don't need decent screen as I watch movies on my TV.
I have considered Chromebooks as they are light weight with good battery life. Duet 2-1 series kind of appeal to me as I can detach the keyboard making it even lighter. But I've never used Microsoft office online so I don't know how different it is compared to the normal ones. Also I don't know how to compare the specs of Chromebook with comparable laptops. Chromebooks seem to be more expensive at same RAM and storage.
I'm also not sure if I should consider refurbished as I've read mixed reviews on battery life. Apparently it's a coin toss on what you would get. But if you think battery life isn't that important, then do please give me your reasoning and persuade me otherwise. I don't mind refurbished otherwise. I've bought a lot of refurbished products before and they have been satisfactory and of great value.
If refurbished is good, would a refurbished Microsoft surface be good fit for my propose? Light weight, and Microsoft office capable. And cheap because of being refurbished?
My budget right now sits at $500 but I don't mind spending a few extra hundred. But I would be really reluctant to go beyond $700-$800 unless duly justified.
As you are asking for expert opinion, I'll provide mine.
Your requirements are so moderate in terms of needed computer power. I would go for a refurbished Dell Latitude 7xxx series.
For $500 you'll get at least:
i5 7th gen CPU
256 GB SSD
8 (or maybe even 16 GB) RAM
Latitudes are rock-solid business-class, 7-series is lightweight, with 13", 14" and 15" screen sizes.
You may have concerns re battery life, but if the refurb is only average, a new one off eBay will only be $30-$40 or so. (Free utility from Nirsoft, BatteryInfoView, gives great information about your laptop battery, including how much of possible capacity it charges, how many expected hours to recharge, or it will last, etc.)
A refurb Microsoft Surface Book may be OK (although worse valuse than equiv Dell, IMO), but avoid Surface Pros (resolution too high - hence tiny text - issues over 9 generations with crappy WiFi, no user-serviceable/upgradable parts, touch screen… annoying, etc.)
Let us know how you go.